The Dallas Cowboys may be coming off a 12-4 season but that doesn't mean they can't improve in certain areas. Specifically, the defense has some pretty glaring holes. Dallas finished last season 26th in pass defense and 28th in sacks. With those types of rankings it's a wonder how they managed to win a playoff game. Clearly, getting after opposing quarterbacks and shutting down the pass game proved far too difficult for Dallas in 2014. That's why cornerback and pass-rusher are the team's top two needs heading into next month's NFL draft.
ESPN NFL Draft Insider Mel Kiper Jr. projects the Cowboys to select Wake Forest cornerback Kevin Johnson with the 27th overall pick in the draft. However, Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning News believes the team should focus on getting a pass-rusher.
"I think pass rusher still remains as big a need as cornerback," Cowlishaw wrote. "Greg Hardy is a one-year rental. If he doesn't work out, he'll be gone. If he's great, he's a free agent and they can't franchise him. Hardy represents Jerry Jones' hope that they can get to a Super Bowl this season. So unless something else gets done I would also put running back at the top of the needs chart as well. [Darren] McFadden and [Joseph] Randle don't figure to be starters on teams with Super Bowl aspiration."
Georgia running back Todd Gurley or Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon are options should Jones decide to address the running back position. But a ball-carrier hasn't been taken in the first round since Trent Richardson in 2012 and we all know how that worked out.
Johnson, Alabama's Landon Collins and LSU's Jalen Collins should merit serious consideration as immediate contributors to the backend of this defense. Virginia's Eli Harol could step in and help out the pass-rush right away. No one knows if any of these guys will still be on the board when the Cowboys pick, but the team should be doing its due diligence on all of them.
